Messay Derebe is the General Director of the Anacostia Arts Center. A seasoned leader with a diverse career that spans finance, arts management, social impact, and government service, she rejoins Wacif after previously serving as the founding Program Director of the Enterprising Women of Color Business Center. Her professional journey began at Ernst & Young,…

Small Business Relationship Manager, Maryland With over 20 years in the banking and real estate industries, Sean Mitchell joins the Wacif team as a small business relationship manager with an extensive commercial lending background. Sean’s “each one reach one” mantra is the foundation of work ethos. He is adept at listening and asking key questions…

Program Director, Enterprising Women of Color DMV Business Center Marisela Rodela is the Program Director for the Enterprising Women of Color DMV Business Center (EWOC) at the Washington Area Community Investment Fund (Wacif). Marisela is a passionate and experienced community and program specialist with a demonstrated history of working in public health, the food &…

Small Business Relationship Manager, Northern Virginia Eric works as a Small Business Relationship Manager at Wacif. He is primarily focused on businesses in Northern Virginia. He is passionate about helping entrepreneurs achieve their goals and committed to helping build strong, diverse communities everywhere. He has experience at large and small companies in a variety of…

Associate Creative Director, Anacostia Arts Center A Howard University Film Degree, progressive political insight, and desire to assist non-profits, mixed with a little black girl magic give you Jess! You can find Jess at the Anacostia Arts Center working with the HIVE 2.0’s co-working space, helping set up the next art exhibit, or developing creative…

Senior Program Coordinator and Special Projects Esthanette started her career in mental health, focusing on Black womxn’s health and wellness while living in Boston. She moved to D.C. to pursue her master’s in Health and the Public Interest at Georgetown University. Before she started at Wacif, Esthanette served as a Program Assistant at the Morris and Gwendolyn…

Supporter Engagement and Stewardship VISTA Daniella Ukpabi is the CNHED Stewardship & Engagement VISTA at the Washington Area Community Investment Fund. In this unique role committed to local community development and engagement, she designs and implements systems to create and maintain supporter engagement efficiently and sustainably. During her service year, she plans on strengthening the…

Education & Advisory Services Manager Rasul provides coaching and capacity-building technical assistance to entrepreneurs and small business owners. Rasul has more than 15 years’ experience in business development, marketing, digital strategy, design thinking, and business storytelling. For nearly a decade, Rasul ran his own Washington, DC-based marketing and strategy consultancy where he facilitated growth and…

Program Director, Enterprising Women of Color DMV Business Center Messay Derebe leads the Enterprising Women of Color Program, a U.S. Department of Commerce’s Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) funded initiative focused on assisting women entrepreneurs of color to build their businesses, secure contracts, and capital, and increase partnership opportunities. Messay began her career in finance…

Program Manager Lyals Battle is the Program Manager for Wacif’s Small Business Programs, where he provides management of different grant programs, one-on-one counseling, and technical assistance to small businesses in the Greater Washington Metropolitan area. Mr. Battle has over seventeen years of small business consulting experience; including three years as a small business owner, three…